Boba Fett

Few companies care as much about their customers as Hasbro does - but that doesn't mean that sometimes they don't make plan really stupid moves. When Luke Skywalker and friends attempt to escape the jaws of the Sarlacc, the ruthless bounty hunter Boba Fett ensnares Luke with a rope-firing wrist gauntlet. But Fett's jet backpack accidentally activates and he rolls into the clutches of the Sarlacc. This figure, like the Animated Debut Boba Fett, is made from the same mold used for the 2004 Vintage Original Trilogy Collection version of the character. However, if you turn the package around and look at the picture on the back, you'll see that Hasbro's original plan was to re-release the terrible Pit of Carkoon figure yet again - a sub-par offering they've been inflicting on fans since 2003. Thankfully, wiser heads prevailed. Why would they keep using that one when there is such a better version available? You'll recall that one of our problems with the Animated Debut Fett was that the extreme detail in the sculpt didn't mesh with his animated origins. That's definitely not the case here - not because any of the detail has been lost, but because this figure deserves it. He's obviously been in a ton of battles, and his armor proudly shows the scars of it. The jumpsuit is baggy in all the right places, and the small tools in the pockets on his shins are indiviually sculpted. His wookie-scalp braids are part of the armor glued onto his shoulders, and his cape is real cloth. The paint does nothing but complement the sculpt. Boba's in his familiar red, green and dark yellow, and his clothes are pale gray. The dents in the armor get small silver apps, and there's no shortage of color accents all over: small stripes on the chest and helmet, the bantha skull on his shoulder, and whatever that olive branch thing is on his chest. Man, remember when the Star Wars toys started again in 1995, and the biggest question was whether or not Boba had complete circles on the back of his hands? Wow. Articulation is quite good. He has balljoints at the ankles, knees, elbows, shoulders and head, and swivels for the hips, wrists and waist. There's an extra swivel in his right bicep, to accommodate the tubes that run down to his gauntlet: probably a fuel line for his flamethrower. Anyway, the tubes go over the elbow joint, so if the upper arm were solid, they'd restrict the range of the balljoint too much. By attaching them to a separate ring rather than the actual arm, the upper part can rotate with the lower. The antenna on his helmet can be rotated down in front of the eye, as well. His waist is a bit loose, but since it's just a swivel, that's not a real problem. Boba's only accessories are his familiar rocket pack (and for heaven's sake, why isn't the rocket removable?) and his stubby blaster. Heightening the ridiculousness of the whole affair, it's technically a "sawed-off" blaster. The Lucasverse doesn't have paper, but it has people taking saws to gun barrels? Was it at least a vibro-saw? Anyway, the backpack plugs in place, and he can hold the gun nicely. That's all you can ask for, really (though it would be nice to get that big plume of flame from the Pit of Carkoon). This really is the best version of Boba Fett - and has been for five years. This version is significantly cheaper than the VOTC version, because that one was a big scam. Honestly, the only way this figure could show improvement is if he had a removable helmet and Temuera Morrison's face beneath. The big balljointed head is nice, but removable helmets are better. And it's not like we don't know what he really looks like, now. -- 06/14/09

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